


Last To Know

by lyricaldanceflap



Category: Peter Kay's Car Share (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-07 21:33:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15228330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyricaldanceflap/pseuds/lyricaldanceflap
Summary: Started this one just after the finale screening at the beginning of April, and finally had the motivation to finish it this morning. It explores my own personal headcanon that despite John and Kayleigh saying they're going to take things slow, they actually don't end up taking things slow at all.





	Last To Know

It started with little things.

An extra toothbrush in the cup by the sink. A bottle of perfume (Jade Goody’s ‘ _Shush_ ’) on the dresser. Her Walkman (because even though he’d told her it was only a borrow, of course it had ended up being hers) on the coffee table, white earphones wound neatly around it. 

Little by little, Kayleigh’s presence in his house had become known, and although he’d been terrified of moving too fast at the beginning, had told her he wanted to take things slow, he was quickly coming to terms with the fact that she was gradually moving into his space. 

No, he wasn’t just coming to terms with it, he welcomed it. Welcomed _her_. 

John had never been the kind of person to rely on anyone else’s company, had prided himself on his independence for years after Charlotte left. He thought he’d have to ease himself slowly into this new relationship with Kayleigh, had told her as much when they’d first got together, but the truth was that after a little over a month as an official couple, he wanted to spend every minute of every day surrounded by Kayleigh’s presence. 

However, their current living situation was an odd one. 

Almost as soon as they got together, she’d started coming home with him after work for tea. At first, he’d do all the cooking while she sat up on the counter and chatted to him about anything and everything, legs swinging in front of her if one of her favourites came on Forever FM, which was always playing from the little radio on John’s kitchen windowsill. After a short time, though, she offered to take her turn cooking, giggling at his wary expression.

“Believe it or not, John, I do know my way around a kitchen. Our Kieron’s a chef, remember?”

“My sister in law’s a nurse. Doesn’t mean I’m gonna walk into the hospital tomorrow and have a crack at brain surgery.”

She smiled up at him. “Please?”

So the next evening, after their shifts had finished, they’d clocked out and walked back through to the shop floor to get some bits in for a chicken stir fry, one of Kayleigh’s specialties, she told John with a beaming smile. He wondered to himself whether he’d still be smiling back at her if she burnt his kitchen down. He thought he probably would; she’d had him wrapped around her little finger right from the very first day they’d started car sharing. 

But he needn’t have worried, Kayleigh did indeed know her way around a kitchen, more specifically his kitchen. John leaned against the counter and watched her move around with ease as she pulled plates and cutlery from the cupboards, checking on the food, and tidying as she went along. She looked like she belonged here already, John thought to himself. Like the rooms in the house had been hers for years. _Theirs_ for years. 

They took turns cooking every evening after that. 

More than a few nights a week, they’d end up falling asleep together; either on the couch in front of the telly, or in bed. John rolled his eyes now when he thought about how he’d reacted not even two months ago when Kayleigh had mentioned getting a room at Rick and Donna’s wedding. Despite what he’d said, they’d ended up moving pretty fast in that department. Usually by the time they woke up and realised the time, it was way too late to even think about driving halfway across Manchester back to Mandy’s, so Kayleigh would slip on one of John’s t-shirts in lieu of pyjamas and stay the night. 

Slowly but surely, her stuff started making its way into John’s house, until it reached the point where it was more of an inconvenience for her to have to get ready at Mandy’s in the mornings (where she officially still lived) instead of John’s (where she spent most of her time). 

Mandy decided to approach the subject with her older sister one evening. 

It was Halloween, and Kayleigh had offered to take Alfie and Chloe trick or treating with Mandy – Steve was over in Preston picking up some bike parts. They walked slowly behind the excited children, stopping to supervise them every time a brightly decorated house took their fancy, watching them run up to the front door to fill their pumpkin shaped buckets with more sweets. 

“I’ve been meaning to ask you,” Mandy said, as they trailed behind Chloe and Alfie, “When are you taking the rest of your stuff out of the box room?”

Kayleigh’s head swivelled towards her younger sister, eyes wide. Mandy misunderstood her shocked expression and was quick to reassure her.

“You’ll always be welcome, Kayleigh! I’m not gonna lock the front door behind you and never speak to you again,” Mandy laughed. “I just thought you’d want all your stuff to be at John’s now, you know, with you moving in there.”

Kayleigh spluttered, her mouth opening and closing a few times before she found her voice. 

“Moving in? I haven’t moved in, Mandy, I stay there but me and John aren’t… living together.”

Mandy only smirked.

“We’re _not_! We agreed we’d do this whole relationship thing slowly.” Kayleigh looked over at her sister, who was shaking her head in a mixture of amusement and disbelief. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

“When was the last time you spent the night at mine?”

Kayleigh thought back. And then realised the fact she was having to think back at all was an answer in itself. She’d popped by a few times to see the kids and Misty – who’d taken such a shine to Alfie and Chloe, Kayleigh didn’t have the heart to tear her away from the new home she loved so much – but she hadn’t slept over at all this week. Or the last, come to think of it. 

“Shit, Mandy… are me and John _living together_?” Kayleigh groaned. “Oh my god, why are we always the last to know these things?”

 

Mandy cackled, wiggling her eyebrows. “Well you obviously don’t do much talking while you’re over there.”

Kayleigh swatted at her, trying to hide her own amusement. “Stop it, this is serious!”

She’d ask John whether he was aware of this situation when she got home. Home. She smiled.

*

“John?” Kayleigh called out as she shut the front door behind her, pulling off her boots and hanging her coat.

“In ‘ere!” John’s reply came from the living room.

She walked in and found him stretched out on the couch, brew in hand, telly on. The picture of relaxation. She doubted he’d be relaxed when she brought up what she’d planned to talk about. 

“Did you have a good night? There’s some tea in the oven, if you fancy it. It’s just a bit of shepherd’s pie, nowt fancy but…” John trailed off as he noticed her expression. She’d made no move to sit down and was anxiously chewing her lip as she looked around the cosy little room. “Has something happened? You and Mandy haven’t had a falling out, have you?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Her voice was shaky, and John sat up straighter, making room for her on the couch and patting the space beside him. 

She sat, and he took her hand, lacing her fingers with his. 

“What, then? Something’s obviously bothering you.” John was starting to get nervous himself now. 

Kayleigh took a deep breath, finally meeting his eyes. “Look, John, I don’t want to panic you or anything, but I don’t know if you’ve noticed… I’ve sort of moved in?”

John nodded, the hint of a confused frown on his face. “Well, me bathroom looks like Boots makeup counter, we’re gonna have to go to IKEA for a double wardrobe soon, and you’ve got keys to the house and car. It had occurred to me.”

She tilted her head to one side, her eyes searching his for any hint of the blind panic she’d expected.

“And how do you feel about that?” She asked.

“Well, I’m not looking forward to spending me Saturday traipsing round IKEA, but if you try shoving one more thing in that wardrobe it’s gonna fall to bits, so-“

“John! I mean, how do you feel about me moving in?”

“Oh!” He squeezed her hand, smiling. “I’m over the flippin’ moon, obviously. I love having you here, it feels…” He dropped his eyes, still shy about expressing emotions, but trying, always trying for Kayleigh. “It feels right.”

She tugged his hand, and he looked up to meet her eyes. 

“Good.” She grinned. “Because I love living here. Even if I didn’t actually realise I _was_ living here until Mandy clued me in.”

He laughed, incredulous. “You’re joking!”

“I’m not!” She giggled, “She asked me when I was going to take the rest of my stuff, I thought she was trying to chuck me out.”

“You’re one on your own, you.” He said, shaking his head. 

“You love me though.”

“I do,” He said, leaning forward to press a quick kiss to her lips before she stood up again. “Where are you going now?”

“To get me tea out of the oven, I’m bloody starving.”

“Charming, I thought we were havin’ a moment then.” He watched her over the back of the couch as she walked to the living room door and turned back to grin at him. 

“Give me ten minutes to refuel and we’ll get back to our moment.” She wiggled her eyebrows and attempted a wink as she sauntered off to the kitchen.

John followed.

**Author's Note:**

> Tumblr: lyricaldanceflap


End file.
